Apparatus for finishing braided threads



.Nov. 20, 1951 H. E. SMITH APPARATUS FOR FINISHING BRAIDED THREADS Filed Aug. 17, 1946 Yen/an! Patented Nov. 20, 1951 APPARATUS 'F'on FINISHING YB'RA'IDED THREADS Herbert E. Smith, Manchester, N. H., assignor t Wau-Ke-Wan Thread Col, Inc., Manchester,

IL, a corporation of New Hampshire Application August 17, 1946, Serial No. 691,327

(01. "ill-17) 1 Claim. 1

This invention pertains to the manufactureof braided thread and more especially to a novel method of and a paratus for use in finishing braided thread. It is customary after the braidingoperation to pass the braided thread through a sizing bath or the like and then to dry it, the drying sometimes being followed by a polishing operation. Heretofore it has been usual to wind the thread on a spool as it is delivered by the braiding machine and after the spool is full to cut the braid and carry the spool to the finishing point where thethread is unwound and subjected to the finishing operations. It has also been proposed to deliver the thread directly from the braiding machine to the sizing bath and then to pass it over heated drums or through a baking chamber so as to dry it before rewinding it. This latter procedure employs artificial heat and requires care in the control of the heat and the time of drying in order to insure the desired results without damage to the braid; it necessitates the use of expensive apparatus and the drying apparatus occupies a considerable amount of space which is not always available in the braidin room, The treatment of the thread in spool lengths involves unnecessary labor and loss of time and frequently results in a lack of uniformity in the finished thread.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel method of and apparatus for imparting a desirable finish to a braided thread such that the operation may be carried on uninterruptedly, the thread delivered by the braiding machine being drawn through the sizing bath and finished and dried without resort to artificial heat; and by the use of apparatus which requires but little space and which is relatively inexpensive. A further object is to provide a novel method of and apparatus for finishing braided thread, requiring substantially no attention on the part of the operator and whereby the desired finish is imparted at a minimum cost. A further object is to provide a novel method of and apparatus for use in finishing braided thread whereby substantially uniform results are attained.

In attaining these objects advantage is taken of the fact that if a textile strand of moisture absorbent fiber, for instance cotton or linen, be kept taut during andafter its immersion in the sizing bath so that it cannot decrease in length, the moisture absorbed by the strand from the sizing bath evaporates far more rapidly than if the strand be dried in a relaxed state. Thus by keeping a substantial length or the strand through a seriespf (as delivered by the braiding die and while and after passing through the sizing bath) under substantially uniform, high tension while bis-'- posed to air at normal room temperature, the strand is quickly and fully dried on its way from the braiding die to the winding spool or beam. Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out in the following more detailed description and by reference to the accompanyin drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatic erspeetive View showing a conventional braidmg machine equipped with the improved finishing apparatus of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary diametrical section pulleys forming a part bf the drying means;

Fig. 3 is a similar fragmentar diametrical section through a series of piilleys which cause the thread to advance during the drying opcitation; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary diagrammatic vertical section illustrating means for applying sizing to the thread.

Referring to the drawings the numeral l designates a conventional braiding machine having a plurality of yarn carriers and having the drive shaft 2 and the braiding die -3 from which the braided strand or thread B is drawn upwardly by means of a take-off and tensioni'ng device. This take-off and tension devlbei's driven by means of a shaft 4 which-is actuatedby gear connections (not shown) from the shaft 2 and which, through speed reduction gearing, drives the horizontal shaft 5 which carries the tension pulley B. This pulley or roll 6 is provided with one or more peripheral rooves and the braided strand or thread B is passed about this pulley or roll 6 through a suflicient arc to insure the necessary grip to impart the desired tension to the strand so as to draw it away from the biaiding die at the proper speed. From the pulley 6 the strand extends rearwardly and is wrapped about a guide roll 9 mounted shaft l0, suitably su ported by the frame of the machine. From the pulley 9 the strand extends up in a substantially vertical run H and about a grooved pulley 15* supported to turn freely on a shaft H arallel to the Shaft 5 and spaced a substantial distance from the latter, for instance a distance of the order or inches. The shaft M- carries a series of grooved uileys 15*, 15 and 15 (Fig. 2) each provided with peripheral groove l6, prefer bly a 'v grocve. These pulleys areallarrangee ts turn with the latter, and if desired the groove 1 of the tension pulley 6 may be formed in this drum [2 rather than in a separate pulley. 'Onf the other hand, instead of using the drum I2, the grooves 13, l3 and I3 may be in the peripheries of a series of separate pulleys all of the same effective diameter and all fixed to the shaft 5 so as to turn with the latter. 7 The braided material of the run I I engages th first pulley on the shaft It at its front and passes upwardly and rearwardly over this pulley and then downwardly in a run I! and to the rear of the'series c-f pulleys on the shaft 5 and about a pulley I8 (Fig. 4) mounted to turn freely on a stub shaft carried by a downwardly extending support 19 which is carried by a bracket arm '20 supported by the machine frame. The pulley i8 is located within a suitable reservoir 2| vWhich'receives the liquid sizing with which the thread is to be treated. The support 19 carries a second pulley l8 at a point below thepulley I8, and after leaving the pulley 18 the thread passes down around and in front of the pulley l8 then rearwardly about the latter and forwardly about the pulley I8 and then passes up through an eye or slot in a scraper device 22 which removes surplus sizing. It may be noted that the course of the yarn through the sizing bath is such that the one run of the yarn crosses another so as to produce a rubbing action. If desired the yarn'or thread may be twisted in its passage through the sizing bath so as to increase the rubbing effect and thus insure proper impregnation with the sizing. After passing up through the eye in the scraper 22 the thread forms the upwardly directed run Il which engages the second pulley l5 on the shaft I4, passing forwardly about this pulley and then downwardly to form a run 24 which-passes down and about the second pulley l3 on the shaft .5. The thread then moves upwardly to form another run which extends up to and about Ill) of the length of yarn from the braiding die to the winding-on spool the yarn is held under substantially constant tension, the sizing material is rapidly dried without recourse to the use of artificial heat, the exposure to the air at room temperature being amply sumcient to dry the sizing. This rapid drying under these conditions results from the fact that the yarn is tensioned so strongly that it cannot shrink when wet with the sizing fluid and thus the moisture is very rapidly expelled from the yarn.

TA desirable number of pulleys on each of the shafts 5 and I4 is from 10 to 20 and a suitable length of yarn between the braiding die and the winding-on point is 10 yards or more and the speed of rotation of the shaft 5 relatively to the delivery of the braided material is such, as above pointed out, as will prevent any decrease in the length of the yarn while it is pass ing through the sizing bath and while it is being dried.

Since the drying apparatus is all arranged above the braiding machine it requires little, if any, additional floor space and in a braiding mill having the ordinary head-room it is possible to equip each braiding machine with this improved drying and finishing apparatus without requiring any rearrangement of the braiding machines or any crowding of the machines or a decrease in the number of the machines customarily employed. By this method of procedure the yarn is sized and dried in a continuous uninterrupted operation so that the operation can be performed rapidly and with a minimum amount of labor, and since no artificial heat is employed there is no necessity for care in its control nor danger of injury to the thread by reason of overheating or otherwise. In fact the improved apparatus operates substantially automatically and requires substantially no more attention than the braiding machine itself.

While one desirable embodiment of the invention has been illustrated by way of example, it is tobe understood that the invention is broadly inclusive of any and all equivalent arangements-falling within the scope of the appended claims I claim:

Apparatus for use in finishing braided yarn as the latter is delivered 'from'the braiding die of a braiding machine, said apparatus compristhe third pulley on the shaft I4, thence forward- 7 ly about thelatter pulley and down to wrap about the third pulley 13* on the shaft 5, etc., forming a series of parallel runs R. The final downwardly moving run 25 is wound on a beam or spool 26 carried by a shaft 27 which is driven by a belt 28 passing about a pulley '29 on the shaft 5. V The pulleys 6, I3 13 and 23 on the shaft 5 are all of the same effective diameter and as these pulleys have V-grooves they grip the thread firmly so that each run of thread leaving a pulley on the shaft 5 has substantially the same linear speed, this being substantially the same speed as that with which the material is drawn off from the braiding die 3. On the other hand, the pulleys on the shaft M are all independent and free to turn so that any bight of yarn extending. about one of the pulleys on the shaft I4 is, free between its points of tangency with suc cessive pulleys on the shaft 5.

Due to the long extent of yarn exposed between the braiding die and the windingeon spool 26, andby reason of the fact that-throughout all ing: a pull-off roll mounted to receive and engage the yarn as it comes from the braiding die; means for positively driving said pull-off roll at a constant surface speed in definite timed relation to the speed of the braiding machine to impart'a predetermined degree of tension to the yarn; a freely rotatable guide roll mounted to receive the yarn from said pull-off roll; a second freely rotatable guide roll mounted to receive the yarn from said first-mentioned guide roll; a receptacle for yarn finishing fluid; yarn guide means within said receptacle for receiving yarn from said second guide rolland immersing the yarn in the fluid; a series of equal-diameter coaxial guide rolls mounted for independent free rotation about an axis spaced from and parallel to the axis of said pull-off roll, the first of said series of guide rolls being positioned'to receive the yarn from said yarn guide means; a series first -of said series of driven rolls beingmounted to receive the yarn from the first of said series of guide rolls, the second of said series of guide rolls to receive the yarn from the first of said series of driven rolls; the second of said series of driven rolls to receive the yarn from the second of said series of guide rolls, and so on in alternation to the end of said series; a winding roll mounted to receive and to take up the braided yarn from the last of said series of guide rolls; and means for positively driving said Winding roll at substantially the same surface speed as said pull-off roll, whereby the driving engagement of said pull-off roll and said series of driven rolls at a uniform and constant surface speed thereof imparts a predetermined uniform degree of tension to the yarn throughout the travelling length thereof, transient inequalities 6 in such tension being immediately equalized by the free rotatability of all of said guide rolls, to thereby accelerate the drying of the yarn at roon; temperature.

- HERBERT E. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 894,593 Callan July 28, 1908 1,039,211 Subers Sept. 24, 1912 1,316,210 Wardwell Sept. 16, 1919 1,962,424 Brownell June 12, 1934 1,966,912 Schrenk Aug. 7, 1934 

